The Pentagon has grounded military flights for the Miramar Air Show, making it unlikely that the popular annual event will take place this year.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was informed Friday that the Defense Department has rejected the station’s request for military flight demonstrations, Capt. Anton Semelroth, a Miramar spokesman, said in a statement.

The reason given was department-wide budget cuts as a result of sequestration. The Pentagon comptroller announced in March that all aerial demonstrations would be grounded starting April 1.

“That policy has not changed,” according to the July 11 decision letter signed by Rene C. Bardorf, deputy assistant secretary of defense for community and public outreach. “In fact, no flyovers or aerial demonstations have taken place except those in support of active duty funerals and the repatriation of remains of those formerly missing in action.”

Problem is, the Miramar Air Show makes money. Marine Corps and Defense Department officials were unable to provide a detailed accounting of costs and net revenues Friday, but past air shows have brought in more than $17 million, according to estimates.

“There is no reason financially to cancel any of this,” a Pentagon official told U-T San Diego, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic. “This is very political. It’s all administration appointees wanting to create clamor. They’re trying to blame this on Congress, when it’s their fault.”

The event, scheduled this year for Oct. 4-6, attracts roughly half a million visitors over three days and is considered the nation’s largest military air show. Although it is free, the air show makes money on corporate sponsorships and payment for premium seating, Miramar officials have said.

They were hopeful they would get approval to keep the air show flying because “we cover our costs and it’s in the next fiscal year,” Maj. Carl Redding, a spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, told U-T San Diego before the cancellation announcement.

Budget woes had already vetoed participation this year by the Blue Angels, the Navy’s precision F/A-18 fighter jet demonstration team. Marine officials planned to make the Marine Air Ground Task Force demonstrations, including local aircraft such as the Osprey MV-22 tilt rotor, the star instead.

Despite plans to use only local aircraft units to limit costs, “the perception of permitting aerial demonstrations at the Miramar Air Show when similar justification was denied for the academy graduations is problematic since neither event rises to the national or international level of significance,” according to Bardorf’s decision letter.

It stated that the air show would cost the Defense Department an unspecified amount. Pentagon officials were unable Friday to immediately explain the discrepancy over costs, since Bardorf and others are on furlough because of the budget cuts, a spokesman said.

Miramar officials said they haven’t officially canceled the air show yet. But is it a military air show if there is no military flying?

All the Defense Department ruling means is “it doesn’t allow us to have military flight demonstrations,” Redding said. There still might be a 2013 Miramar Air Show “if we have civilian performers and foreign acts with a robust static display and other items. That is what we are continuing to work through over the next week or so.”